Filling valve for gas-fueled lighter

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a filling valve, particularly for filling gas-fueled lighters, provided with an expansion chamber into which the liquefied gas is fed directly from the filling bottle, the outlet of said chamber being arranged substantially opposite to the inlet, in order to obtain a sufficiently important localised cooling effect for causing said valve to operate to rapidly fill the lighter.

United States Patent [191 Hocq 111 3,765,462 [451 Oct. 16,1973

[ FILLING VALVE FOR GAS-FUELED LIGHTER [75] Inventor: Robert Raymond Hocq,

Boulogne-Billancourt, France [73] Assignee: Soviete Franco-Hispano-Americaine (Francispam) Saint- Gratien France [22] Filed: Apr. 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 136,092

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS Benevento 141/4 X Obata 141/295 X 3,186,449 6/1965 Tissot-Dupont 141/295 3,398,769 8/1968 Guenin 141/293 3,295,567 1/1967 Pichl 141/348 3,373,776 3/1968 Kajita 141/4 Primary Examiner-Houston S. Bell, Jr. Attorney-Curtis, Morris & Safford [5 7] ABSTRACT The invention relates to a filling valve, particularly for filling gas-fueled lighters, provided with an expansion chamber into which the liquefied gas is fed directly from the filling bottle, the outlet of said chamber being arranged substantially opposite to the inlet, in order to obtain a sufifici'ently important localised cooling effect for causing said valve to operate to rapidly fill the lighter.

7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTED [MIT 16 I975 FIG. 2

FILLING VALVE FOR GAS-FUELED LIGHTER The present invention relates to a filling valve for gas fueled lighters.

Filling of a gas fueled lighter from a bottle containing liquefied gas can only be effected if the pressure in the lighter is lower than the pressure prevailing in the bottle. This pressure difference is generally obtained either by cooling the lighter or by heating the bottle or else by these two means used jointly.

Known filling valves are generally provided for bringing the liquefied gas as directly as possible from the bottle into the enclosure to be filled. The expansion of the liquefied gas reaching said enclosure ensures some cooling effect of the assembly whereby the pressure difference is enhanced and the liquefied gas is fed to the lighter. However this cooling effect shows itself to be insufficient for filling up said enclosure to the maximum permissible extent without a more or less considerable loss of gas.

An object of the present invention is to remedy this disadvantage by the provision of a filling valve wherein owing to a single filling circuit a sufficiently important localised cooling effect is obtained for causing said valve to rapidly fill the fuel container of the lighter.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved filling valve essentially characterized by the fact that it comprises an expansion chamber into which the liquefied gas is fed directly from the filling container, the outlet of said chamber being arranged substantially opposite to the inlet.

A further object of the invention is to provide a filling valve as above 'stated wherein the expansion chamber is used for housing a spring which closes the valve.

With these and such other objects in view as will incidentally appear hereafter, the invention comprises the novel construction and combination of parts that will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing exemplifying the same and forming a part of the present disclosure, wherein the single figure is an enlarged elevational view, taken in section, showing a filling valve constructed in accordance with the present invention. The left side of the drawing, from the center line, illustrates the valve in its closed configuration, and the right side of the drawing, from the center line, shows the valve in its opened configuration.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view showing a filling valve constructed in accordance with the present invention, with the elements therein shown in their normal position; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view, similar to FIG. 1, showing the position of the elements of the valve during the filling operation. I

As shown, the valve is essentially made up of three parts, namely a valve member I, a socket 2 and a spring 3.

The socket 2 is mounted in the fuel container 2' of a cigarette lighter in any convenient manner and defines a recess 4 in which the spring 3 is accommodated and is abutted on one side against a shoulder 5 in the socket 2 and on the opposite side against a collar 6 formed on the valve member I. The portion of the socket 2 situated underneath the shoulder 5 and through which is slidably fitted the valve member 1 has such a diameter as to provide some clearance between said socket and valve member, thereby defining a narrow venturi passage 13.

The head of the valve member 1 is axially perforated so as to define a passage 12 which ends in 'the expansion chamber 4 above the collar 6 and provides communication between the expansion chamber and the atmosphere.

Proper tightness between the socket 2 and the valve number 1 at the ends of the latter is achieved by means of two seals 7, 8. The seal 7 is held upon the valve member by the collar 6 and by a shoulder 9 on the valve member. The seal 8 is situated in a cup member 10 provided on the lower end of the valve member and held in position by peening said end.

A seal 11 ensures tightness between the valve member 2 and the interior of the enclosure tobe filled.

The construction being as above described, the operation of the valve takes place as follows When the user presses the gas-containing bottle or container, (not shown) against the head of the valve member 1, the latter moves downwardly (see FIG. 2) while being guided at its top end by the collar 6 which slides through the chamber 4 and at its lower end by the narrowed portion of the socket 2.

Such amovement compresses the spring 3 and moves the cup member 10 and therefore the seal 8,- which establishes a communication between the chamber 4 and the interior of the enclosure to be filled through the passage 13.

Asthe convolutions of the spring are compressed against one another, the pressure exerted by the user opens thegas bottle and causes the liquefied gas contained therein to penetrate into the chamber 4 through the passage 12.

When reaching the chamber 4, the liquefied gas expands, thereby cooling the valve and consequently causing a pressure drop in said chamber.

Due regard being paid to the sectional areas of the passages l2, 13, the cooled chamber 4 causes the expanded gas to liquify, and, owing to the cooling effect exerted on the zone surrounding the valve, causing the gas to flow through the passage 13 into the enclosure to be filled which is thus more satisfactorily filled than when using known devices.

The provision of an expansion chamber provides an advantage from the manufacturing standpoint. Actually it is only sufficient to perforate the end of the valve member stem and not the entire stem length as in known valves since the liquefied gas from the container flows almost directly into the expansion chamber.

Obviously constructional details or their arrangements may be modified without departing from the invention for obtaining the same results.

An advantage of the arrangement represented in the drawing consists in arranging the spring in the expansion chamber, thereby reducing both the. volume and the intricate structure of the valve.

What is claimed is:

l. A filling valve adapted to be mounted in the fuel container of a gas fueled lighter and adapted to be selectiyely engaged with a filling gas reservoir in order to fill said container, said valve comprising a valve, assembly including a valve body having a relatively large expansion chamber formed therein, said expansion chamber being sufficiently large to permit vaporization of liquid gas supplied thereto, an inlet port opening directly into said chamber and normally providing communication between said chamber and the atmosphere whereby the pressure in said expansion chamber is less than the pressure in the filling gas reservoir and liquid gas supplied to said chamber under pressure through said inlet port will vaporize therein, said valve body also having a relatively long and narrow outlet port formed therein for providing communication between said expansion chamber and the fuel container in which said assembly is mounted, said outlet port defining a restricted venturi passage between said expansion chamber and the container, valve means for normally closing said outlet port downstream of said expansion chamber in the direction of flow of gas from said chamber to said container, and means for opening said last mentioned valve means when a gas supply reservoir is pressed into contact with said assembly over and in communication with said inlet opening to supply gas to said expansion chamber from said reservoir, whereby liquid gas in, said reservoir flows under pressure through said inlet port into said expansion chamber, vaporizes in said chamber due to the lower pressure therein, and cools the chamber, said vaporized gas then condenses in said cooled expansion and flows in liquid form through said venturi passageway wherein said liquid gas cools the venturi passageway by flow therethrough and remains in its liquid state for rapid supply to said container.

2. The filling valve as defined in claim 1 wherein said valve body defines a valve seat on the outer surface thereof adjacent said outlet port and said valve means comprises a valve element positioned to normally engage said valve seat.

3. The filling valve as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for opening said valve comprises an elongated control rod slidably mounted in said valve body and operatively connected to said valve element.

4. The filling valve as defined in claim 3 wherein said outlet port comprises an elongated bore in said valve body and said control rod is mounted to extend through said bore, said rod having an outer diameter which is slightly smaller than the diameter of said elongated bore, whereby said outlet port defines a narrow restricted passage.

5. The filling valve as defined in claim 4 wherein said inlet port is formed in said control rod.

6. The filling valve as defined in claim 5 including spring means mounted in said expansion chamber for biasing said control rod to a position wherein said outlet passage is normally closed by said valve element.

7. A filling valve adapted to be mounted in the fuel container of a gas fueled lighter and adapted to be selectively engaged with a filling gas reservoir in order to fill said container, said valve comprising, a valve body having an enlarged expansion chamber formed therein and an axially aligned outlet bore providing communication between said chamber and the interior of said container, said valve body defining a valve seat on the outer surface thereof adjacent said outlet port, and a valve element mounted in said body for normally closing said port, said valve element including a generally disk shaped sealing member for closing said port and a valve control rod operatively connected to said disk and slidably mounted in said body, said rod extending through said port and said expansion chamber, and spring means located in said expansion chamber for normally biasing said rod in a first direction in which said disk normally closes said port, said rod having an outer diameter which is slightly smaller than the diameter of said outlet port, thereby to define a restricted venturi passage for gas from said expansion chamber to said container, and also having an inlet port formed therein normally providing communication between the expansion chamber and the atmosphere, said expansion chamber being dimensioned to receive said rod and said spring and define a relatively large chamber thereabout having a lower pressure therein than said filling reservoir due to the communication of said expansion chamber with the atmosphere through said inlet port prior to filling of said container, said control rod being adapted to move against the bias of said spring upon engagement of the filling gas reservoir therewith in communication with said inlet port whereby the higher pressure gas in said reservoir flows under pressure through said inlet port into the lower pressure expansion chamber wherein'said gas expands and cools said chamber as it enters the chamber, said gas condensing to a liquid in said cooled expansion chamber and flows in liquid form through said venturi passageway wherein said liquid gas cools the venturi passageway by flow' therethrough and remains in its liquid state for rapid supply to said container. 

1. A filling valve adapted to be mounted in the fuel container of a gas fueled lighter and adapted to be selectively engaged with a filling gas reservoir in order to fill said container, said valve comprising a valve assembly including a valve body having a relatively large expansion chamber formed therein, said expansion chamber being sufficiently large to permit vaporization of liquid gas supplied thereto, an inlet port opening directly into said chamber and normally providing communication between said chamber and the atmosphere whereby the pressure in said expansion chamber is less than the pressure in the filling gas reservoir and liquid gas supplied to said chamber under pressure through said inlet port will vaporize therein, said valve body also having a relatively long and narrow outlet port formed therein for providing communication between said expansion chamber and the fuel container in which said assembly is mounted, said outlet Port defining a restricted venturi passage between said expansion chamber and the container, valve means for normally closing said outlet port downstream of said expansion chamber in the direction of flow of gas from said chamber to said container, and means for opening said last mentioned valve means when a gas supply reservoir is pressed into contact with said assembly over and in communication with said inlet opening to supply gas to said expansion chamber from said reservoir, whereby liquid gas in said reservoir flows under pressure through said inlet port into said expansion chamber, vaporizes in said chamber due to the lower pressure therein, and cools the chamber, said vaporized gas then condenses in said cooled expansion and flows in liquid form through said venturi passageway wherein said liquid gas cools the venturi passageway by flow therethrough and remains in its liquid state for rapid supply to said container.
 2. The filling valve as defined in claim 1 wherein said valve body defines a valve seat on the outer surface thereof adjacent said outlet port and said valve means comprises a valve element positioned to normally engage said valve seat.
 3. The filling valve as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for opening said valve comprises an elongated control rod slidably mounted in said valve body and operatively connected to said valve element.
 4. The filling valve as defined in claim 3 wherein said outlet port comprises an elongated bore in said valve body and said control rod is mounted to extend through said bore, said rod having an outer diameter which is slightly smaller than the diameter of said elongated bore, whereby said outlet port defines a narrow restricted passage.
 5. The filling valve as defined in claim 4 wherein said inlet port is formed in said control rod.
 6. The filling valve as defined in claim 5 including spring means mounted in said expansion chamber for biasing said control rod to a position wherein said outlet passage is normally closed by said valve element.
 7. A filling valve adapted to be mounted in the fuel container of a gas fueled lighter and adapted to be selectively engaged with a filling gas reservoir in order to fill said container, said valve comprising, a valve body having an enlarged expansion chamber formed therein and an axially aligned outlet bore providing communication between said chamber and the interior of said container, said valve body defining a valve seat on the outer surface thereof adjacent said outlet port, and a valve element mounted in said body for normally closing said port, said valve element including a generally disk shaped sealing member for closing said port and a valve control rod operatively connected to said disk and slidably mounted in said body, said rod extending through said port and said expansion chamber, and spring means located in said expansion chamber for normally biasing said rod in a first direction in which said disk normally closes said port, said rod having an outer diameter which is slightly smaller than the diameter of said outlet port, thereby to define a restricted venturi passage for gas from said expansion chamber to said container, and also having an inlet port formed therein normally providing communication between the expansion chamber and the atmosphere, said expansion chamber being dimensioned to receive said rod and said spring and define a relatively large chamber thereabout having a lower pressure therein than said filling reservoir due to the communication of said expansion chamber with the atmosphere through said inlet port prior to filling of said container, said control rod being adapted to move against the bias of said spring upon engagement of the filling gas reservoir therewith in communication with said inlet port whereby the higher pressure gas in said reservoir flows under pressure through said inlet port into the lower pressure expansion chamber wherein said gas expands and cools said chamber as it enters the chamber, said gas condensing to a liquid iN said cooled expansion chamber and flows in liquid form through said venturi passageway wherein said liquid gas cools the venturi passageway by flow therethrough and remains in its liquid state for rapid supply to said container. 